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I quickly tried to cover up. “No, no, no, it’s not like that! I just.. I mean..”

She laughed. “I’m kidding. I agree that your dragons are a bit overpowered for my gym. They’ve fought Red and trained in the Dragon’s Den! But come on, I know you have some birds of your own.”

“Sure do.” I grinned, knowing just what team I’d use. “Got a storage system somewhere?”

“In the break room. Oh, and Becca?”

“Yea?” I was already on my way.

“Nothing over sixty, got it?”

“Haha.. Don’t stress, the ones I’m thinking of are all at fifty.”

By the gym’s opening I had a trio of my beautiful female birds behind me as I stood on a platform, just below Skyla’s roost. Waverly, my Staraptor and first traded Pokemon, stood behind me, just Adamant enough to ignore me, or pretend to, at least. My Bold Swellow, Contrary, preened her feathers. But my Pidgeot, and first ever captured Pokemon, was by my side nuzzling my face the moment I released her from her Pokeball. “Hi, Amber! It’s good to see you, too!” She cooed in response.

About half an hour passed of my watching scared ten year-olds zipping through the air, Emolgas shocking Duckletts, Tranquills dive-bombing Patrats.. When suddenly a little girl hit the mattress at the edge of my post. She stepped up to me, brushed off her knees, straightened her shirt, which had a lightning bolt design, and looked up at me bravely. “Hi! I’m Lauren!”

I smiled back. She was so cute! “I’m Becca. Nice to meet you. Are you ready for our battle?”

She grinned. “More like are you ready?”

“Alright, how many Pokemon do you have with you?”

“Just one.”

“I’ll match you. Amber. At the ready.”

“Zappy, let’s go!” She squeaked, and summoned a young Raichu.

“Ooh, a Kanto fan, huh?”

She smiled innocently. “I got him as a Pichu egg from my birth mom. He was the last thing she left me..”

My heart skipped a beat. “You know, being this adorable isn’t gonna make me go easy on you” I joked.

“Hey! I don’t want you to go easy on me! Or Zappy! He and I will kick your bird’s poofy butt!”

With that, the electric mouse crackled with electricity, clearly ready for a fight. My Pidgeot took to the skies above the Raichu.

“Ok, Zappy, Thunder!”

“Amber, Giga Impact!”

My Jolly Pidgeot was sure to move first. But somehow the mouse got the first strike, summoning a small cloud over its head and forcing tiny sparks of static from its yellow cheeks. A giant thunderbolt shattered the artificial skies, and Amber narrowly ducked around it. She slammed into the opponent, glowing with light, knocking it out instantly. Must have had a Hasty nature…

“Zappy!” the girl gasped and ran to it.

I placed my hand on her shoulder. “Thunder’s strong, but not very accurate. Next time use a move like Thunderbolt or Volt Tackle. Man, with your Raichu’s speed, a Volt Tackle would’ve knocked Amber out for sure. And try giving it a Light Orb. That Quick Claw won’t do you much good cause you’re already much faster than almost any opponent you’ll face.”

“But I don’t have one of those…” She sniffled.

I dug in my bag for a minute. “Here. I have a Raichu, too, but I don’t get to use Ichigo much, so you can have her Light Orb.”

I slipped a Sitrus Berry into the fainted Pokemon’s mouth and it roused itself. It stood up next to me, and I pulled the Quick Claw off the twine on its neck, replacing it with the chain of the Light Orb.

And with this, the girl picked her Pokemon up, and the two of them left the podium with the referee, who led them to a ladder that would bring them to the exit.

Wow. That kid.. She reminds me of myself at that age, when I just got my Trainer’s License. I haven’t seen that bravery since the LoH. Maybe I do have what it takes to be a leader. Just like Cole….

"Trainer: We would like to invite you to try your hand at a new kind of challenge. The League of Heroes is a league of world-class battlers, with its own set of leaders and elite four members. If you are interested, please mail your invitation to the location listed below with your RSVP and we will send you a map with the locations of our gyms.
Yours truly, the Elite Four of the NCTH
Tower of the Ancients, Unova"

If you challenge our league and are lucky enough to get to me, you have a shot at winning the Mountain Heights Symbol. Credit to Northern Lights for the badge.

So... Does this mean Dracoburn's story is over? League of Heroes will have to tell the rest of the tale on its own. Still, I'd like to see Becca's take on our battle, and the war, and the ball, if only through some brief flashbacks.

Sure, I can throw in flashbacks. I just got so stuck on what to do next.. Nothing was clicking, but a few of my friends were expressing interest in my fanfic, and I started developing characters for them. This first chapter featured my irl best friend, Lauren, though I brought her back to how old she was when I first met her. I'm giving these people their favorite Pokemon, specifically ones that they already train, and clothing/personality traits that they actually have. When I first met Lauren, when we were in fifth grade, I envied her bravery. So I figured I'd make her character a really brave ten or eleven year old.

"Trainer: We would like to invite you to try your hand at a new kind of challenge. The League of Heroes is a league of world-class battlers, with its own set of leaders and elite four members. If you are interested, please mail your invitation to the location listed below with your RSVP and we will send you a map with the locations of our gyms.
Yours truly, the Elite Four of the NCTH
Tower of the Ancients, Unova"

If you challenge our league and are lucky enough to get to me, you have a shot at winning the Mountain Heights Symbol. Credit to Northern Lights for the badge.

This takes place after the final battle. In fact, it probably takes place after the reunion, too. Not quite decided on that, yet.

"Trainer: We would like to invite you to try your hand at a new kind of challenge. The League of Heroes is a league of world-class battlers, with its own set of leaders and elite four members. If you are interested, please mail your invitation to the location listed below with your RSVP and we will send you a map with the locations of our gyms.
Yours truly, the Elite Four of the NCTH
Tower of the Ancients, Unova"

If you challenge our league and are lucky enough to get to me, you have a shot at winning the Mountain Heights Symbol. Credit to Northern Lights for the badge.

The rest of the day continued much the same; most kids couldn’t get to me, and those who did were swiftly defeated. I consulted Skyla during our lunch break.

“Skyla, I think I need to tone it down.. The last kid cried.”

She swallowed a bite of her berry burger and met my eye. “Becca, they need to know when they need more training. I can’t tell you how many kids have gotten to me only to be destroyed. Sure, you’re doing Arnold’s job much better than he ever did. But that doesn’t mean you should sell yourself short to keep others from feeling heartbreak. There’ll be more chances for them to win, after they’ve gone home and trained up a bit. When they’re stronger and more mature, they’ll be ready for you.”

“Oh, you know what I meant, silly!” She rolled her eyes. “Just do your best. When someone does get through to me, I’ll know they’re good!”

The same pace carried on as the sky slowly darkened and the hour edged its way to closing time. I was about ready to pack up and head out when Amber, and her Keen Eye, caught movement at the top of the defeated challengers’ escape ladder. A dark blue fedora was rising over the threshold. Riley?

“Riley, what the..?”

“Huh?” A soft male voice responded. “I’m not Riley..”

He scrambled up the remaining few steps, revealing the rest of his body. He did look a bit like my old buddy from Sinnoh, but with some distinctions; he was younger, to start with, and though they had similar styles, this guy stood a bit shorter in stature, and his body didn’t radiate with the same intense blue aura that Riley’s did. He must have been less in touch with his aura than Riley was, because it was fainter, and glowed a deep green, not at all like the blues and blacks of his outfit.

He pulled a Pokeball from his belt clip. “Um.. Should we start?”

“Wait just a minute. Aren’t the challengers supposed to get here through the cannons?”

He blushed. “Not me.”

“Aww, are you scared?”

“No! Just.. Uh, motion sickness..”

I hardly believed him, but now wasn’t the time for that.

“Whatever. How many Pokemon have ya got?”

“A full team.. Six.”

“Three on three, then. Single or double?”

“Doesn’t matter..”

“Skyla’s doing doubles, so I might as well prepare you for that.” I shrugged. “Ready your team, alright?”

He nodded, and drew two red orbs from his belt. “Austyr, Chyll, game on.”

“Amber! Waverly! Time to fly!”

My Pidgeot and Staraptor rushed forward to meet their opponents, but they did so as their duties, not for the love of battle. They had seen nothing but apathy all day and couldn’t expect anything better.

The trainer, however, flicked his wrist and two rather powerful creatures appeared; the first a bipedal obsidian feline, the second a frozen feminine form, like a beautiful dancer turned cold from hatred. Both of which were ice types. My birds might have a challenge in store after all!

“Alright, Amber, use U-turn on the Weavile!”

She prepared to make her move, but the opponent ducked around her and slugged her in the kidneys. She shrieked as the Sucker Punch landed, but spun around and charged it with her dignity intact. As soon as her attack landed, she rushed back to my side, and I sent out Contrary to take her place.

“Waverly, use Substitute!” She nodded and hurriedly plucked feathers from her wings, crafting them over her vital areas to keep herself from receiving damage from the next few blows.

At this, the Froslass calmly formed a tiny icicle spear and ritually placed it upon her breast. Quietly chanting, she traced a figure eight pattern around the needle. She held it gently, but firmly, to her skin, directly over her solar plexus, and inhaled, making a hissing sound akin to running ones nails down a blackboard. To my horror, she raised a fist, closed her eyes, and struck the frozen nail deep into her chest. My Pokemon both flinched in horror, and Contrary began to squirm as if she had a joint that needed cracking.

“Alright, Waverly, take down that Weavile! Close Combat!”

Once again, though, the Weavile got the first hit, this time with its jab cloaked in frost. The makeshift armor that Waverly had crafted prevented her from taking damage, but the blow sloughed off the feathers, leaving her vulnerable again. At this, the furious Staraptor spun around, hooked her beak around the feline’s paw, and gripped it tightly. The opponent spat and struggled, but it was trapped. At this, my Staraptor began kicking out her talons, tearing at the enemy’s fur. The incredible viciousness of this attack nauseated me the first time I saw it, but the Weavile’s trainer merely clenched his fists as his Pokemon was beat to the ground, leaving it unconscious.

Shaking his head slowly, the young man recalled his Pokemon. He drew a new capsule, whispered something into it, and flicked it into the arena. The red light materialized as a bluish-white vulpine form. “Nglace.” it cooed provocatively. I noticed a jagged line across its otherwise beautiful face, a scar that told a tale of a million victories and perhaps a single loss.

“Contrary, Steel Wing at the Froslass! Waverly, Close Combat the Glaceon!”

The harpies let out twin shrieks and shot towards their opponents. The Glaceon ducked away from my Staraptor, but the Froslass wasn’t quite as lucky. Ice splintered in all directions as the glossy feathers on the Swellow’s stiffened wings split the opponent’s frozen skin like a machete through bone. It fainted immediately.

Before the light from her Pokeball could even clear, her teammate was preparing a revenge shot. At point-blank range, the Glaceon shot a chilling Ice Beam at Waverly as she tried to fly away. The feathers along her right wing clumped together, weighing her down and not allowing her to soar higher. The Staraptor let out a furious shrill as she spiraled downwards at an increasing speed. She hit the ground with a sickening thud and didn’t move. I recalled her, holding the Pokeball close to me for a moment to whisper my pride to her.

I looked at my Swellow. She’d be lucky to last another turn. Her eyes were bloodshot, and convulsions ran through her body. “Contrary, let’s finish this fast, alright?” She nodded slowly, a tear in her eye, and stiffened her wing again. The poor swallow lacked the strength to take to the sky, so she simply struck the fox with a halfhearted blow. The foe couldn’t even counterattack before my poor bird hit the ground, her body convulsing from the prolonged agony of the Curse. She clucked her beak, and I saw foam beginning to form at the corners. I sighed. “Contrary, return. I can’t let you suffer through any more of this.”

She shot me a grateful look as I recalled her. I turned to the Pidgeot standing behind me. “Looks like you’re our last hope, Amber.”

“Pigooo!” she cawed and lifted off.

“Alright Amber, finish strong! Giga Impact!”

The Pidgeot circled above the opponent, her eyes beginning to glow white. She let out a scream as she dove at top speed at the enemy.

The other Pokemon stood below, calmly looking up. Suddenly, her trainer let out a hushed “Now!”. The Glaceon lifted her face to the sky and released yet another Ice Beam!

Amber cringed, but it was too late. The ice solidified around her body, rendering her immobile. Her eyes froze in a horrified gaze that matched that of her opponent as the frozen bird crashed down on top of the other Pokemon. As the shattered ice cleared, both Pokemon lay in an exhausted heap.

I returned my Pokemon, and placed the balls together by my bag. The young man was cradling his fallen friend, so I went to offer him some sympathy.

“I know a ref would’ve called that a tie, but you know, my Pokemon was technically rendered incapable of battle before your Glaceon. You’re beyond ready to battle Skyla.”

He nodded, and slipped his partner a Revive. “Thanks.”

“No problem. I think the gym’s closing for tonight, though.”

He groaned. “Ugh. I was hoping I could get through this gym today. The Pokemon Center’s out of space, and I was hoping I’d have time find a motel before it got dark.. Looks like camping again.”

Wow. Kid was capable of monologue. I figured he was a one-sentence kind of guy.

“Wait just one second. It’s forty degrees outside, even colder out of town. You’re coming back to my place with me.”

He blushed deeply. “I’m.. um.. Not really that kind of guy…”

“Whoa, whoa, whoa, who said anything about my motives? I’m not offering you to stay at my place so we can.. Uh.. It just makes sense cause I have to come back here tomorrow anyways. I’ve got a guest room and my Dragonite’ll feed ya. Sides, your Pokemon are hurt. I can’t let them sleep out in the cold when they have wounds that need to be nursed. What do you say?”

He let out a nervous smile. “Ok. I guess Wyntre could do with a hot meal..” The Glaceon by his side nodded.

“Just let me go switch out my team and I’ll meet you at the entrance. See you in ten?”

He shifted nervously. “See you.”

Last edited by dracoburn; 14th July 2011 at 6:38 PM.

"Trainer: We would like to invite you to try your hand at a new kind of challenge. The League of Heroes is a league of world-class battlers, with its own set of leaders and elite four members. If you are interested, please mail your invitation to the location listed below with your RSVP and we will send you a map with the locations of our gyms.
Yours truly, the Elite Four of the NCTH
Tower of the Ancients, Unova"

If you challenge our league and are lucky enough to get to me, you have a shot at winning the Mountain Heights Symbol. Credit to Northern Lights for the badge.

We hiked in anxious silence as the sun began to set. “So, um, where are we going anyways?” he asked nervously.

“Twist Mountain. I have a cabin.”

“Twist Mountain? How will we get there in time?”

I laughed. “Fly on my Garchomp, of course.”

He stopped. “Fly? No way. It looks like it’s about to rain.”

“Ferocity’s a great flier, she won’t get lost.”

“I’d just be more comfortable if we didn’t.”

I sighed. “Have it your way. Lucky for you, I have a Torterra. Would you feel safe Rock Climbing up there?”

“Safer, at least.”

“Fine. But it won’t be as fun.”

As we climbed the rock face, I decided to get to know the kid.

“So, what’s your name anyways? I probably should’ve asked BEFORE I invited you back to my place, but hey, too late now, right?”

“Matt.”

“Becca. So, what’s your story, Matt”

“Originally from Johto. Tiny little town, only on the map for its lab. Moved to Sinnoh a few years later. Went through the league. Left the family to go through Unova. Not really that much to say..”

“Wait, New Bark Town? I used to have a friend who lived their. She was a few years younger than me. You might’ve known her.”

“What was her name? I might have.”

“Crystal, but she went by Kris.”

He froze. “Kris?”

“Yea. Short girl, bluish hair. I think she chose a Totodile as her starter. You know her?”

“You.. You could say that. I’m her older brother.”

A spark went off in my head. “Matt? You got your Pokedex the same day I did! I remember you!”

He looked puzzled for a second as the revelation caught up to him. “Becca, Becca.. Wait a second. Yea, you were my first battle!”

“So wait; Wyntre is the same Eevee you had as your starter?”

“Yep. I changed her name after she evolved. ‘Blyte’ was supposed to be an Umbreon, so when she evolved into an ice type.. I was a little stuck. Had no idea being near the Ice Rock would change what she evolved into.”

“I still remember that battle. I’m shocked my Charmander got that lucky hit, after you used Mud Slap. That was before we knew about abilities.. Couldn’t believe the damage Ember inflicted with Blaze!”

We reached the cabin as the stars began spilling out onto the velvet sky. “Analyt!” I called to my approaching Dragonite, “Sorry I’m late. Long day at the gym. By the way, we have a visitor.” He nodded, and rushed back into the house.

“Hey! Draco! Come see a friend, buddy!”

A light rose in the distance and within a few moments, my Charizard stood next to me. He sniffed around, finally turning his attention onto Matt. He smells.. Familiar. What’s going on?, Dracoburn shot to me telepathically. “He recognizes you.” I pointed out to Matt.

“This your old Charmander?”

Draco snuffled loudly, and continued examining the visitor.

“Why’s he doing that..?”

“He’s blind. Uses his sense of smell to identify things.”

“Oh.. I’m.. Um..”

I cut him off. “Save it. He and I’ve had more than enough sympathy. Sides, our friend Cole got revenge last year.”

“How so?”

“You’ve heard of the League of Heroes, right?”

“Of course! Everybody has, even back home in Sinnoh. My little brother has action figures of some of the star Pokemon. I think he’s got two Charizards, a Garchomp, a Victini, a shiny Salamence, a Hydreigon.. And of course Zekrom and Reshiram.”

I laughed. “Well, I’ll bet two of those action figures were based on my Pokemon. Does one of the Charizards have scarring around its eyes?”

“Now that you mention it, yea.”

“Draco, move your tail so Matt can see your face.”

As the Charizard shifted, Matt took in the full tragedy of Dracoburn’s bloodshot, sightless eyes and the jagged lines and wrinkles creasing his face. The trainer stifled a gasp, and Draco focused his blue eyes on the ground, a habit he retained from his days of outstanding vision.

“It’s alright, he’s still a great hunter and flier. Just damaged his battling career a bit because it’s really hard for him to aim without me to guide him. The only two beings that can send him a visual of his surroundings are Analyt and I.”

“What do you mean?”

“Telepathy. Sometimes if you form a strong enough bond with a Pokemon you can develop a method of silent communication through your minds. Made it much easier for he and I to adjust to the blindness.”

“Ah. I getcha. So what are you doing out in Unova?”

We continued our conversation as we reached the cabin. Analyt happily welcomed us inside, busily instructing us to remove our shoes and shooing us into the living room where Draco had lit a fire. The friendly Dragonite served us the leftovers from the stew he’d made for the Pokemon earlier and hot green tea.

“Man, you should’ve named him Puff, he’s so human-oriented!” Matt commented.

“He’s named Analyt because he was so analytical as a Dratini and a Dragonaire.”

“So when did the change happen?”

“When it had to. After Draco went blind, Analyt stepped in to help me take care of everybody. Turns out he’s a better cook than I am, and he can speak the same language as the babies, so he’s just naturally the caretaker of the family.”

“The babies?”

“Yea. My Garchomp and Salamence have had two Gibles, my Umbreon and Espeon had a litter of Eevees, Draco has an adopted son and Analyt himself has an adopted daughter.”

“Wow!”

“I rather enjoy breeding. Both of the baby Gibles, for example, were born knowing Dragon Claw.”

“Ooh. Sounds powerful.”

“They sure are. So, fill me in on what you’ve been up to since we left on our journeys.”

“Well.. I got through the Johto league, took second at Indigo Plateau. Then I went back home to help Elm out at the lab while Kris went out on her own journey. Kris.. Well, Kris.. Um…”

“What’s wrong?” I placed a hand on his shoulder.

“We got a call one night. Kris had been chasing Suicune on Route 41. Her Feraligatr wasn’t fast enough to keep up, so they thought they could cut through the whirlpools around the Whirl Islands. But a storm was coming, and the riptides around the rocks were getting harsh..” He swallowed hard. “She and her Feraligatr were pulled in.. The rescue teams found her, took her to the Cianwood Hospital.. Kept her on life support for long enough for my mom and I to fly in and say goodbye.. They never did find the Feraligatr..”

“Matt.. I’m so sorry..”

“The strangest thing is that after they pulled the plug and she flat lined, I heard a Pokemon’s cry. When we left the hospital, I went for a walk and found an azure creature standing before me; Suicune! I-I think it felt responsible for Kris’s death. It let me capture it. We moved to Sinnoh after that, but Suicune left for four days every month. One day I insisted on riding it, asked it to take me where it always went. It.. Brought me to Kris’s grave. It knelt down and used Ice Beam to freeze the flowers we placed there after her funeral. The ice lasted through the whole month, keeping them perfectly preserved. And the ice around them looked incredible, like tiny glass flowers with the colors still inside..”

“It sounds amazing. I’m still so sorry for your loss.”

“That’s life. Your best friend is blind. My sister is dead. There’ll always be both good and bad. You would think it’d be as easy as it is on TV; how the hardest ordeal a trainer could go through would be losing a battle, or having a wild Pokemon they want flee. ‘Oh no, I came in third in a contest!’, ‘My Pikachu has a cold, my life is over!’. Spare me. Real life has illness. People age and change their clothing. You get homesick, and you lose friends. Villainous teams are actually capable of catastrophe, and there isn’t a popsicle’s chance in hell that a Cyndaquil can take down a Salamence ‘just because it loves its trainer’.”

“You’ve got a real point there.” I mumbled solemnly.

“But hey, we’re all gonna die someday, right?”

I had to lighten the mood. “I dunno. I personally am attempting immortality. So far, so good.”

He chuckled. “Sounds like a plan.”

We sipped our tea in silence.

“So, uh, you want a ride back to the gym tomorrow? I need to head down, grab that gift card Skyla said she’d swap for my time filling in today.”

“I was thinking I’d ride my bike.”

“Well, can I ride with you? I mean, Arnold might be sick again. I’d better go down in the morning to make sure she doesn’t need me again..”

“Well, sure, if you have a bike.”

“Course I do. Remember Miracle Cycle? They had one in Johto and Kanto. The guy who ran it gave me a bike so I could advertise for him.”

“Oh yea, I remember ol’ Miracle. Mine was a present. ‘Santa’ gave it to me the year Kris went. Four Gear bike from Rad Rickshaw’s in Eterna. Nothing much, but it gets me places.”

I took a deep breath. Here goes. “Hey, um.. I was wondering, are you dead-set on rushing through this league? I haven’t really introduced you to all of my Pokemon, and I figured we could train together for a little bit.. I’m rusty, and I need to be ready in case someone beats the gym trainers from my league.”

He grinned. “I thought you’d never ask.”

With that, I showed him the guest room and we said our goodnights. I took a sleeping pill, knowing that I’d be up all night without it. Looks like the beginning of a new era. I told myself as I climbed into bed. The last thing I thought of before drifting off to sleep were Matt’s eyes, always shifting from brown, to green, to blue. Just like life.. Always shifting…

Last edited by dracoburn; 1st September 2011 at 3:34 AM.

"Trainer: We would like to invite you to try your hand at a new kind of challenge. The League of Heroes is a league of world-class battlers, with its own set of leaders and elite four members. If you are interested, please mail your invitation to the location listed below with your RSVP and we will send you a map with the locations of our gyms.
Yours truly, the Elite Four of the NCTH
Tower of the Ancients, Unova"

If you challenge our league and are lucky enough to get to me, you have a shot at winning the Mountain Heights Symbol. Credit to Northern Lights for the badge.

This is awesome, even better than Draco's story, I can't wait to see what happens next! Battle scenes were dark but fitting, incredible description. The dialogue doesn't seem forced and flows naturally and the shifting moods (Matt's monologue on life) happened seamlessly. LOVE IT.

Thanks, guys. So far this fic is turning out to be a lot darker. The darkness isn't really intentional, but the fic -is- supposed to be more adult. I guess I should probably mention, it's supposed to be high PG to PG13. There'll be a lot more adult content and violence than in DS.

"Trainer: We would like to invite you to try your hand at a new kind of challenge. The League of Heroes is a league of world-class battlers, with its own set of leaders and elite four members. If you are interested, please mail your invitation to the location listed below with your RSVP and we will send you a map with the locations of our gyms.
Yours truly, the Elite Four of the NCTH
Tower of the Ancients, Unova"

If you challenge our league and are lucky enough to get to me, you have a shot at winning the Mountain Heights Symbol. Credit to Northern Lights for the badge.

Alright, guys. I know it's not fair to give you such a short chapter after being AWOL for so long. Personal problems and all that. Pssh. Anyways..

Chapter Three: Good Morning, Starshine.

“IIII! WANNA ROCK AND ROLL ALL NIGH-HIGH-HIGHT! AND PARTY EVERY..”

I slammed my hand down on the alarm clock. No offense to KISS or anything, but not at 6:30 in the morning.

I crawled out of bed, halfheartedly convincing myself to move. It took my exhausted brain a few minutes before I realized that the faint snoring from the guest room meant company. Scenes from the night before flashed through my mind, Matt, the battle, Skyla’s gym. The little girl that almost beat me. Suddenly considerably more alert, I rushed through my morning routine, finding mostly-clean clothing, scurrying to the bathroom, and taking a quick shower, making sure to leave hot water for my guest. I tucked my long hair up into a ponytail, and set to digging through the kitchen cabinets for instant coffee. I wasn’t a fan of it myself, but I figured Matt would enjoy the wake-up. I’d make some tea for my own breakfast, then wake up sleeping beauty.

Analyt, ever the morning dragon, greeted me in shock, disbelief at my being up before noon in the back of his eyes. “Very funny. I happen to have something going on today.” He grinned. “Analyt, will you wake up Draco and Ferocity? I won’t need a whole team with me for this. The others can sleep in like they usually do, just make sure the patrols get out on time.” He nodded, and hopped off to follow my commands.

Rubbing my eyes, I decided to rouse Matt. I knocked twice, and pushed open the door. He was shirtless, lying face down with a pillow over his head. His Glaceon, who was curled in a ball at the end of the bed, rose her head in annoyance at being woken up. I took a deep breath, nervous. “Hey. Matt.” There was no response. The Glaceon rolled her eyes at me, and leaped from the bed as if to say “Ha! This is on you!”. “Alright. Matt, you told me to wake you up. I am.” He didn’t budge. Wanna play hard ball, huh? Sighing, I tiptoed to one side of his bed, grasped the bottom sheet, counted to three and yanked the sheet out from under him, flipping him onto the floor.

To my great surprise, he merely rolled over and continued snoring. And I thought I was hard to wake up! “Analyt, get in here!” I bellowed. He rushed in, preparing for an emergency. “Ok, I know the only water move you know is Surf, but can you just get him a little wet?” The Dragonite suppressed a laugh, left the room, and returned with a glass of water. “Thank you, Analyt.” He crept to the doorway, making it clear that he wanted to watch this.

“Wake up, sleeping beauty..” I whispered, and tipped the glass back to empty the contents on my friend. I finally got a response, as he groaned and pulled the blanket closer. “No can do, bud.” I yanked the blanket away from him, revealing a young man in nothing but his boxers. I felt my face grow hot, as I uttered a string of embarrassed expletives and tossed the blanket back over him. With my voice an octave above normal, I shrieked “GET UP!” and darted from the room.

Analyt was literally rolling on the floor laughing when I got outside. “It’s not funny!” I protested, holding back tears. Stupid, stupid, stupid! How could you do that to a guy you haven’t seen in years?

A few minutes passed, and the door finally opened.

“I, um, left you some hot water in the shower. The knobs are kinda tricky; the hot one gets stuck if you try to turn it all the way up before turning on the shower..”

He cut me off. “I’ll figure it out.” He yawned.

“Alright, same bathroom I showed you last night, second on the lef-”

“Room with the toilet. See you in a few.”

“There’s new soap under the sink!” I called as he was staggering away. Wait; do guys even use soap? I’ll have to check that later.

"Trainer: We would like to invite you to try your hand at a new kind of challenge. The League of Heroes is a league of world-class battlers, with its own set of leaders and elite four members. If you are interested, please mail your invitation to the location listed below with your RSVP and we will send you a map with the locations of our gyms.
Yours truly, the Elite Four of the NCTH
Tower of the Ancients, Unova"

If you challenge our league and are lucky enough to get to me, you have a shot at winning the Mountain Heights Symbol. Credit to Northern Lights for the badge.

I assure you, guys most certainly use soap! Not with any regularity, mind you, but we do! Speaking of which, my semi-annual shower is coming up :P
Glad to see you back again. Believe it or not, I went and reread this earlier today. I'm freakin' psychic.

Wow, another chapter already? Just a warning, it's kinda sad, especially if you support SnowyMountainShipping(Matt+Becca)

Chapter Four: Not THAT Kind of Climax

A storm was brewing in my mind. A few weeks had passed since Matt moved in, and I was thinking that I was finally over Cole. But now I held a letter in my hand from the Firebrand himself.

Matt came outside and ushered me to the kitchen table, heating up a leftover slice of pizza and muttering a million miles a minute. I picked the toppings off of it, dully sipping at my Vitaminwater. I couldn’t look at Matt. I was too confused.

That night, I had the craziest dream. I was kissing Matt, but when I looked in his eyes, I saw Cole’s reflection. Then, I was traveling with Draco as a Charmander by my side. I could see Mount Silver against the horizon, and the Cherry trees of Cherrygrove ahead of me. I looked down and locked gazes with Draco, wondering if the last ten years were all just a crazy dream. But his blue eyes were still dull, and his youthful face showed the jagged lines of his accident. The dream became a flashback of the tragedy itself, but this time, when the Blizzard cleared, I saw a Glaceon with a scar standing in place of Red’s Lapras. I screamed, and was suddenly back in my cabin, my room. Though I wasn’t alone. There was a man with me, a shirtless man. Matt? But I looked closely at the man, and realized it wasn’t Matt. It was Cole, and he gazed at me gently, the way Ferocity and Scarr looked at each other.

I jolted awake, my heart pounding. The clock radio on my nightstand blinked to 5:39. Matt wouldn’t be up yet. I rose silently and tugged a hoodie on over my tank top, slipping on my grungiest shoes.

Dracoburn met me at the door of my room. Together, we crept past the closed door of the guest room, where Matt was snoring obnoxiously. October seemed to do quite a number on his sinuses.

We got outside, thankfully without waking anybody up, and my Charizard and I flew to the peak to watch the sunrise.

“I don’t know what I’m gonna do, Draco..”

This is about the male, isn’t it? And the one that was here the other night. The one with the Charizard.

I sighed. “You read me like a book..”

Why don’t you just mate with this one while he’s here? I’m sure it would at least relieve some tension.

“Draco!” I gasped, “He’s only been here for a few weeks!”

But that’s why he’s here, isn’t it?

“I can have friends, can’t I?”

You could. But I know you. You only show your heart to those you deem worthwhile. So why is he here if you won’t mate with him?

Draco huffed in annoyance. You would have by now if you felt the same for him as you do for Cole.

I wanted to deny it, but didn’t know that I could. “Draco, Matt’s a good friend.. But I dunno, maybe I still have feelings for Cole..”

Then call him. Or something. You’re miserable. It shows. Besides, I liked him better. He didn’t snore, and he was allies with my brother. Not that unpleasant vixen that blindly follows the new guy..

“Brother, huh? So I was right..”

Sure. But don’t change the subject. What do you want to do? You’re unsatisfied with your life, and I’m unimpressed with your tossing and turning at night. It keeps me awake.

“So it’s all about you, huh?” I teased.

About time you figured that out. Now, the sun is up, and I want food. It’s time to go wake up Mom.

“He prefers ‘Analyt’, you know.”

You hear that sound? It’s my belly growling. Let’s go.

Matt was still unconscious when we got back, but Analyt was buzzing about busily, as usual. I watched as we circled for landing, as the Dragonite rationed out servings of berries to the morning patrols. Tryxie, my Ninetales, and SpiceGrrrl, my Houndoom, were bickering good-naturedly, eventually settling on a trade. We touched down, and Draco strutted forward, growling a greeting to his friend that registered in his mind as “Hey, Mom, where’s the damn bacon?”. I rolled my eyes and followed more slowly, my eyes on the two dragons as Analyt playfully cuffed Draco’s shoulder, receiving a teasing shove in response. Camaraderie. I silently wished that I could maintain human contact without my dreams telling me that I was an idiot.

I sat against a tree, shivering in the October fog, watching my Pokemon interact with one another. Scrag and Cedar, my Krookodile and Sandslash, were mud-wrestling flirtatiously, trying to force each other to eat bits of soil. My Espeon, Mia, was trying to coax her Umbreon mate, Spook, into a patch of sunshine so that the two could sunbathe together in the relieving warmth. Ferocity, my Garchomp, and Scarr, my Salamence, took off together in turn with their two sons, both Gible, on their backs.

Around one, Matt’s Glaceon, Wyntre, stalked outside with three Eevee kits bouncing around her paws. The Arctic Fox turned to snap at the male of the bunch, who whimpered and scampered to the safety of his maternal aunt, my Jolteon, Dyna. The latter turned to Wyntre confrontationally, hissed at her, and stalked away with the subdued kittens following her, their tails drooping to the ground. Right then, I finally accepted what I’d known for a while: living with Matt just wasn’t going to work.

Matt finally came outside around one-thirty. I watched him yawn, stretch, and search for a few moments, finally catching my eye. He waved an enthusiastic greeting, to which I responded with a cool nod, before pretending that my eye was caught by Dyna teaching her nieces and nephew how to use Sand-Attack.

My boyfriendish jogged over to where I was resting. “There you are!”

“Here I am..” I mumbled.

“You ok?” He cocked his head.

I chickened out. “Yea.. I’m just feeling a little under the weather.”

“You sick?” He dropped to one knee to look me in the eye.

“Uh.. Chick stuff.” Which was half-true, considered that my feelings for he and Cole were the root of my iffy mood.

He blushed slightly and started picking at a twig by his foot. “Oh.. Um.. I’m.. Uh..” He stammered.

This was getting awkward fast. “No! Not like that! Sometimes girls just feel down for no reason. Our minds work differently than guys’ do. Probably the foggy weather.”

“Then come inside.” He half-asked with a hopeful smile.

“Thanks, but I’d rather just be alone to watch the babies if that’s alright.”

He seemed puzzled, but moved on nonetheless.

That night, I picked at my dinner, my appetite completely forfeited to my distant mood. I bagged the hot roast Miltank sandwich, not wanting to waste it, and moved closer to the flickering campfire. I watched the flames darting back and forth before my eyes.

I heard a disgruntled sigh from behind me as Matt approached. “Ok, what’s wrong? You’ve been acting like a Pineco all day.”

I tried to keep this last comment from offending me. “Nothing’s wrong, why can’t I just have some space? Arceus..”

He rolled his eyes in anger and spun around, stalking away. I could understand why that Glaceon liked him so much…

We sat near each other for a few hours, the silence and tension thick enough that it would take Cut to get through it. Finally, I stood. “Night. I think I’m going to bed.”. He waved halfheartedly. “Night.”

“You don’t seem to want to talk or anything..” I continued, looking for one last opening to get my feelings off of my chest. He didn’t even turn around. “Well, you didn’t want to all day.” I sighed, feeling completely defeated at this final comment, and trudged to my room, head hanging.

I didn’t make it past the doorframe before I realized what had to be done.

“Matt, can we talk?”

“Fine.”

“I.. I don’t know if this is working.. Like, are you sure it’s good for both of us for you to stay here?”

He raised his eyebrows in surprise. “Of course.”

“But.. But don’t you have any goals?”

“I did, but now my goal is to be with you. I love you”

I couldn’t help but flinch. “Matt, that’s exactly what I mean. It can’t be healthy. For either of us. We both need to pursue our own goals.”

He looked down at his hands. “So you’re breaking up with me.”

“I think we should take a break. Keep in contact. Stay friends.” I took a deep breath to keep from crying. “You’ve gotta admit, we have been fighting a lot more lately. This can’t be healthy for either of us.”

“Whatever. I’ll pack up and leave.”

“Wait! Leave tomorrow. It’s cold and dark.”

“I have a tent with me. And you so obviously don’t want me here.” There was venom in his voice.

I wanted to protest it, say that I did want him there. But I knew that would start an argument that I couldn’t win. “At the very least, do it for your Pokemon. A few of them are already asleep.”

“Whatever.” He grunted.

As soon as I got to my room, I broke down, and cried myself to sleep.

Last edited by dracoburn; 3rd September 2011 at 1:51 AM.

"Trainer: We would like to invite you to try your hand at a new kind of challenge. The League of Heroes is a league of world-class battlers, with its own set of leaders and elite four members. If you are interested, please mail your invitation to the location listed below with your RSVP and we will send you a map with the locations of our gyms.
Yours truly, the Elite Four of the NCTH
Tower of the Ancients, Unova"

If you challenge our league and are lucky enough to get to me, you have a shot at winning the Mountain Heights Symbol. Credit to Northern Lights for the badge.

Well written chapter, as I've come to expect from you. Very sad, though, and the dream at the start is well written in that broken dream logic kind of way. I'd put an author's note in somewhere, connecting it to Hero's Path, so the reader knows what's got Becca so upset. I've put in a chapter listing, and the one where this happened is called A Brief Stop.
Other than that, I noticed Draco's speech was not italicized. No big deal, but it makes it easier to read. I also like how he's a little more cynical now, or at least sarcastic, and a good counterpoint to your character.
Now, back to the dream... I've always felt that when the protagonist has a dream, it is very important. It has great impact on the story, more far-reaching than a reader would think at first glance. the obvious effect is evident here, but I wonder if more of it will come.

Cue Dungeons and Dragonites campaign. My goal? To kill both Cain and Abel, becoming the ultimate ruler of both good and evil. I’m a WereSharpedo Barbarian, and my party has been given this task. Why, I don’t know, but we need the power. At the very least, I would start with Cain, because I didn’t feel entirely comfortable killing someone good, but it couldn’t be too hard to hurt an evil guy, right? So, we attack Cain’s bodyguard, a rather demonic-looking Orc. My party casts spells and shoots arrows, but I dive for the neck, my serrated fangs landing a critical hit and viciously ripping the Jugular vein from the greenish humanoid creature’s throat. It lets out a gurgling cry as its struggles grow increasingly weakened. I have taken another life. But the taste of blood, the taste of power.. It wasn’t quite worth it, but certainly a perk. As I spun around to face my next opponent, I heard a voice in the distance whisper to me “Like a shark, you must move forward. If you must bite the fish in your way, that is what must happen. If you do not move forward always, you shall drown…..”

My nose is wet.. Am I drowning? I blinked, and there was an Eevee kit licking my nose. What a dream.

Matt was gone. He’d left a note, telling me to text him if I changed my mind. I did text a guy, but it wasn’t Matt. It was Cole.

“Hey” -Sent 11:51 AM

…..

“Cole? It’s Becca.” -Sent 12:07 PM

…..

“Can we talk? I’m feeling kinda alone right now..” -Sent 12:14 PM

After half an hour of desperate waiting, I gave up on getting a response. Looked like I was alone.

The day dragged by painfully. I could practically hear the digital clock tick. I played with the Eevee kits for awhile, trying to decide on nicknames that would suit them, wondering what they would choose to evolve into. One of the females was rather shy, uneasy. She preferred to curl into their nest, almost blending into the brown fabric of the baby blanket. Her younger sister was brash, and had a habit of nipping anyone who tried to touch her when she was in a bad mood. And the male? Well, he was energetic, happy-go-lucky, and virtually impossible to put down for a nap. I already had a name for him, just had to clear it with the parents.

The kits, tired out from playing, settled down in their bed, the male rather reluctantly, for an afternoon nap. I tucked them in, then headed out to go hunt with Draco. We flew high above the trees, me keeping an eye out for the fall colors of a Sawsbuck.

So you got rid of that guy, huh? At least he took the damn fox with him..

“Draco, I didn’t ’get rid of him’. We went our separate ways.”

So he was crying why?

“This is hard enough without you telling me that, you know.”

I’m a straight-shooter, I tell it like it is.

I sighed. “Whatever, Drac. Let’s just catch some food and be done.”

We cornered a wild Deerling and a couple of Tranquill around Route 7. Draco shot them down methodically, after years of practice. We held a moment of silence for each life, thanking Mew for contributing its DNA to fill our bellies and help us live another day.

By the time we got home, the afternoon fishing patrol had brought back a few Barboaches and a young Whiscash. Dracoburn tended the fire, while Analyt prepared the meat. We ate in silence, watching the young Pokemon play their game. The oldest of the Gible brothers was “it”. He held a stick in his tiny hands, and would search for the others, who hid. Whenever he found one, he would poke them with the stick, and they would have to play dead until all were found. The winner of the game was Victory, the shiny Dratini Cole had given me as a gift after defeating him in a battle. She had wound herself around a branch about a dozen feet above the seeker’s head. Analyt called the kids to come eat their meals, and they complied with little argument; though all but Victory had their own parent figures(she was Analyt’s adopted daughter), all of my Pokemon respected the Dragonite, and obeyed him. Draco wasn’t far off when he called Analyt “Mom”. When I took on Red, most of my dragon team was incapacitated for days. Dracoburn had been the leader of the group, but the damage to his eyes nearly killed him. They had gotten badly infected, and though he fought it off valiantly, even after getting out of bed, he couldn’t see and was in no position to command. Analyt was the only member of my team that I hadn’t used in the battle, so he worked with me to take care of everybody else. I think my heart is closer to Draco’s than we had factored, because I got sick when he did. Analyt made us both soup, and instructed the others in keeping the household running smoothly. Ferocity and Scarr recovered quickly, as did Gyara. Wyvern was laid up for a while; Red’s Blastoise had done some real damage to him, from a torn esophagus to a sprained wing. Having Analyt in control essentially kept the whole team alive.

My Pokemon seemed pretty uncomfortable around me that night. I didn’t know whether they’d been filled in, or just suspected that Matt’s leaving without an official goodbye tore me up. I loved my Pokemon, they were like family to me. But I couldn’t help but feel lonesome. The Eevee kits curled up by my feet as I tuned my guitar and began strumming the theme of Vermillion City..

“I have not felt longer days.. Then life without your love’s rays.. I will live on, to one day.. Be engulfed in warmth, in your way.. I will someday find love.. Sunsets soaking softly.. Through both fear and safe-ty.. Safety.. Float through life together..”

Some of my older, more mature Pokemon were nodding slowly, understanding the wisdom in the lyrics and how they related to life. The others were slowly nodding off, the dulcet tones lulling them to sleep.

We all dispersed shortly after. It had been a long day for everyone, and all were either exhausted or otherwise subdued. I checked my Pokegear one last time before crawling into bed. Fourteen messages from Matt about how much of a female Houndoom I was for breaking his heart. Not a peep from anyone that I had the desire to hear from at the moment. Whatever. I turned the gadget off and crawled into bed, daydreaming myself into a sleepless stupor.

"Trainer: We would like to invite you to try your hand at a new kind of challenge. The League of Heroes is a league of world-class battlers, with its own set of leaders and elite four members. If you are interested, please mail your invitation to the location listed below with your RSVP and we will send you a map with the locations of our gyms.
Yours truly, the Elite Four of the NCTH
Tower of the Ancients, Unova"

If you challenge our league and are lucky enough to get to me, you have a shot at winning the Mountain Heights Symbol. Credit to Northern Lights for the badge.

I went off to youtube and listened to the song as I read the lyrics, and yeah, I could see how those fit into the atmosphere. It's impressive that you can do that.
Honestly, I think a phone call to Kami at this point would be really funny, but that's just me.
Again, I found your dream insertion a lot broken up with dream logic, though I guess it makes sense (knows nothing of D&D -.-).

A pair of weeks passed and the weather took a turn for the chilly. The October fog began to thicken into a frozen mist that hung like a blanket, and mixed with the sweet scents of late fall treats that Analyt prepared, like caramel-covered berries and Pamtre pie made it feel as if the cabin was surrounded by evaporated ice cream. But as the days grew darker, my mood grew brighter. And by the time the shadow of snow clouds began creeping across the sky, I finally had the moxie to try calling Cole.

All of my Pokemon were gathered inside the cabin to keep warm, and I silently thanked Arceus that there was so much room. My home had once hosted a camp for Picnicker Scouts, but when Team Plasma tried to take over, the organization returned the contract to Clay because they felt the mountain was too unsafe. Though it looked very small from a passing glance, a dormitory-like system of rooms were connected to the main, “human” cabin through a door in the kitchen. On this night in particular, the cabin’s living room was crowded with my friends, all huddled around the fireplace to stay comfortable.

I took a deep breath, and tapped Cole’s number into my Pokegear.

Ring…

My team hushed themselves to eavesdrop.

Ring…

My heart rate quickened exponentially.

Ring…

Maybe he wasn’t going to pick up..

Ri- Click!

“Kairo!”

A Lucario’s cry? “Kami? Is that you?” I asked, puzzled.

“Car.” Came the affirmation.

“Kami, can I talk to Cole?”

“Cario, car, luca, cayo!”

“Um.. Say what?”

Draco translated for me. Kami says Cole isn’t there. Left some time ago.

“That’s great, Kami, but do you know when he’s gonna be back? Or why there’s no method of contacting him?”

“Kairo! Cario! Carro, rrrr? Lucario!” Some soul-searching stuff. I told him he should stay here, but do they ever listen? Nope!

“Uh, ok. Well, will you tell him to call me when he gets home?”

“Car!”

“Thanks, Kami. Tell everybody we said hi.”

Click..

Alright, so Cole was just out of town. It had nothing to do with me being too desperate. Good to know.

On Halloween night, the wind was whistling and the trees were howling. Even the cabin walls were creaking, setting the perfect atmosphere for the spooky holiday. We ate a special meal that Analyt had put together, then sat around the old Picnicker Scouts projection screen that had been left behind, watching cheesy horror flicks and munching candy. At ten, the kids went to bed, and the adult Pokemon joined me for The Rocky Horror Picture Show. After two hours of hysterical laughter, we went our separate ways for the night, still humming the Time Warp.

We awoke to a shroud of snow on the first of November. At first, the Eevee kits were spooked at the frozen water, but in time, they ventured out into the first day of a mountain winter, delighting in the cottony frost as it melted beneath their soft paw pads. The more playful of the group joined us outside to play, while the others stayed inside watching old Disney movies and reading comic books. Speaking of Disney movies, I had nicknames for the Eevee kits to clear with their parents..

We sat back watching Psycha, my Alakazam, levitate balls of snow that the kids were forming to create frosty likenesses of themselves. “So, Spook, Mia, I’ve been thinking of nicknames for your kits, if that’s alright with you if I name them.” The two cocked their heads, signaling me to continue. “You know those movies the guys inside are watching? The Disney ones? Well, I thought up names inspired by the characters from those toons.” Two more identical nods. “I thought the oldest could be named Marie, after the white Skitty in The Aristocats. The younger female seems more sassy, so I thought we could go with Nala, Simba’s girlfriend from The Luxray King.” They communicated for a few moments, then nodded, and looked towards their son. “Him? I thought Oliver fit him pretty well. Little Eevee, with so much potential..” Mia smiled and purred, while Spook nodded slowly and turned up his nose. As Eevees, the two had had nearly reversed personalities. It can be pretty funny how much evolution can rewire a Pokemon’s brain. For example, Gyara, my Gyarados, had been spunky for a Magikarp, but still just as lame and pathetic as any other of his species. But then he evolved, and became the most infamous member of my team for his fury and destructive tendencies.

Change just seemed to be in the air, on the ground, in the stars.. After a dinner of hot stew, my entire collection of Pokemon living with me in Unova crowded around the fireplace, sipping hot cider(aside from the kids, who used their tiny paws to play with the marshmallows floating in their hot chocolate) while I played acoustic versions of some modern songs, rather than our typical routine of my strumming classics from Johto or Kanto. I laid down a rhythm on my Fender, and a chorus of critters behind me began with the closest thing to the background tune that a set of elemental animals could pull off. The part was normally a progression of “da” sounds, but yips and growls suited me just fine. We got to my part, and the group let me begin the verses, calmly reflecting as the kids played a game with a set of pebbles that we had polished.

“You want love, but you fear it. Your attentions, had shifted. And you summed up, the feeling, with a simple, dismissing. Whatcha gonna do? Deceiving? It ain’t you, believe it. Cause our love, ain’t easy. It changes with seasons..” The team again joined for the chorus, “Ohhhhhh, ohhhhh oh oh yeah.. Where we’re goin’ I don’t know.. Oh… Oh, oh, oh, oh.. So baby won’t you let it go?” Even the kits were getting into it. “You sewed shut, the curtains. You closed out, the lights coming in. And all your friends, you don’t want near. You don’t want advice, advice to hear..” A pond of bobbing heads surrounded me. “Cause inside, you’re working. You’re mending what’s broken. Cause our love, ain’t easy. It changes, with seasons..” As the chorus repeated itself, the entire group, even prickly Cedar and reproachful Spicegrrrl, were joining in the best they can, and tapped their feet to the beat as I got to the interlude. “Don’t you worry. Won’t you let it go? Baby, don’t worry, just let it go, let it go. Don’t you worry. Won’t you let it go? Baby, don’t worry, just let it go, let it go..” As the song progressed, I felt a flush of hope in my heart. No matter what I did, or didn’t, have in human companionship, I made up for it in closeness with my Pokemon. My real family.

Look up Change of Seasons, by Sweet Thing, for the song I borrowed. I know, these chapters are short and far between, but I'm trying my best to keep up.

Last edited by dracoburn; 24th September 2011 at 10:30 PM.

"Trainer: We would like to invite you to try your hand at a new kind of challenge. The League of Heroes is a league of world-class battlers, with its own set of leaders and elite four members. If you are interested, please mail your invitation to the location listed below with your RSVP and we will send you a map with the locations of our gyms.
Yours truly, the Elite Four of the NCTH
Tower of the Ancients, Unova"

If you challenge our league and are lucky enough to get to me, you have a shot at winning the Mountain Heights Symbol. Credit to Northern Lights for the badge.

Ugh. Cold and Flu season. Everybody was feeling it, unfortunately. Every Pokemon seemed to have their species’ version of the Flu. Hell, even I was feeling under the weather. Analyt kept hot soup on tap, which was great, until he came down with the Wyrm Flu himself. All the babies were stuck inside with runny noses and fevers, though the baby Gibles got the worst of it, as the Wyrm Flu tends to cause upset stomachs in children, so the poor things couldn’t even keep the soup down. Most of the adults, myself included, simply felt run-down, achy, with all kinds of goo running from our eyes and noses. Fun. Except for Draco, of course, who stepped in for Analyt when his freakishly powerful immune system kept him from getting more than a sinus headache.

In retrospect, I understand that this bug couldn’t have hit our side of the mountain for more than two weeks, but it sure felt like months. The kids were hauled up in their rooms, fussing and whining as their equally unwell parents tried to console them. Most of the adult Pokemon just stayed in their rooms, though they’d occasionally join me in front of the projection screen with blankets, Vitaminwater and old episodes of cancelled animes. Dracoburn clearly detested the role of caretaker, but the Wyrm Flu had an added nasty side-effect of moving to the eyes, and Analyt had to spend his incubation period in a dark room, with a cold towel over his eyes. The other dragons had bloodshot eyes and rashes. Wyrm Flu is really closer to the human Measles virus than Influenza, so all the dragons were feeling rather miserable. Even the ferocious Gyara was weak, and after some debate, I decided to raise the temperature of the indoor pool that my water types shared as a room by a few degrees. It was actually beginning to unnerve me, seeing my great and powerful dragons thrashing about, trying to find a suitable position for their aching bodies. To hear them moan late at night, guttural sounds that made my own misery seem trivial.

Day one, the Eevee kits started sniffling. By that night, they were running fevers, and their parents were starting to drag around the house, their noses beginning to crust. By the next morning, the whole family was in the throes of the disease, and the others in the Ground egg group were coughing. Then it hit me. By day three, my temp was high and I felt like a sack of bricks had hit me. But it wasn’t much of a concern with only the mammals sick. Mammalian Influenza pales in comparison to the reptilian equivalent. So it set all of our nerves on edge when Tyson, my Feraligatr, and Charlie, my Poliwrath, became ill. They shared a pool with Gyara. And so it began, the fifth day, when Gyara’s eyes reddened and the disease officially hit the dragons. And it hit with a vengeance. Two days into the Wyrm Flu epidemic, the Eevee kits’ viruses had faded into a childhood case of “the sniffles”, keeping them indoors, but back to their normal energy levels. The others in the Ground egg group were also doing much better, tired, but otherwise back to normal. I still had a cough, a sore throat, and was prone to random sneezing fits, but my fever was down, and I was beginning to feel almost useful. Ferocity was feeling better, though still tired and ornery, and Scarr’s vision was returning. Analyt was still miserable, and Gyara wasn’t doing any better, but I figured they would recover in due time.

That night, I was finally resting soundly for the first time since I got sick. The cabin was quiet, aside from the light snoring of Draco, who had crashed on the pile of blankets he’d scattered across my floor. I faded off into the most comfortable sleep I’d had in a week… If only it lasted. Perhaps around two, Draco nudged me awake.

“Draco… What do you want?…”

He growled. Get up.

“Why? What could possibly not wait till tomorrow?”

Something is wrong. Get up.

I dragged myself out of bed, exhausted, and followed the light of Dracoburn’s tail flame. He led me through the door that separates the main cabin from the dorms. We passed rows of closed doors, the eerie silence occasionally broken by a cough or sneeze.

“Draco, where are you taking me? Tell me what’s wrong!” I stage-whispered.

There was no conceivable way that I could have predicted what I saw when I opened the door to the pool. My great blue beast, the infamously powerful Gyara, was lying on his side, half in, half out of the pool. His body shook with every gasping breath he took, and a single tear glistened in his bloodshot eyes. I rushed to his aid, brushing my hand over his flank to feel his dry, chapped skin. I pressed lightly on the area at the nape of his neck and he groaned, baring his fangs, a feeble attempt at what would rise as a thrashing display of power and fury any other day. His neck felt hot to the touch, and the muscles underneath were tense. Gyara shuddered, and let out a hissing screech.

“Draco, translate!” I yelped in terror.

His head hurts. Excruciatingly. And his spine feels tight. He says it hurts to breathe.

“Oh Arceus, that sounds like Meningitis… Gyara, when did you start feeling this way?”

The answer came in a furious growl. He says it doesn’t matter, and that you should hurry up and fix him.

I sighed. “Gyara, I need you to tell me so that I know what’s wrong.”

Clearly low on energy, the dragon merely grumbled. Hour or so ago. Back hurts. Head hurts. Never felt this bad… Help…

Gyara never asked for help. Something was clearly dangerously wrong with the proud beast. “Draco, quick, get me some Sitris Berries and my Pokegear!”

By the time he got back, Gyara was even worse. I immediately called 911.

“Hi, I think my Gyarados has Meningitis. All my dragons have had the Wyrm Flu, and it took a turn for the worse tonight.. Can you help us please? We live at the peak of Twist Mountain.”

“I’m sorry, but I don’t think we can get up there in this storm.” I hadn’t even noticed that it was snowing. “If you keep him stabilized, we’ll be there as soon as we can.”

My heart raced, and I felt a rising panic begin to set in. One of the oldest members of my team was in danger.

Draco and I administered the Sitris berries, but Gyara couldn’t swallow. His breathing was growing weaker by the minute. He opened his eyes to reveal ruddy red tears. For the first time in a long while, Gyara met my gaze. He blinked, and I felt a strange buzzing in my head, as I suddenly launched into a vision of a forest, and an egg. Then fire raced along water, accented by a clear, blue sky. But suddenly, the vision was cut short, and replaced by white emptiness. I jerked back to reality on time to see my majestic sea serpent thrash about in place, foaming at the mouth. After a few moments, the great beast simply collapsed, his eyes staring sightlessly at the ceiling. Gyara was dead.

Last edited by dracoburn; 16th January 2012 at 9:19 PM.

"Trainer: We would like to invite you to try your hand at a new kind of challenge. The League of Heroes is a league of world-class battlers, with its own set of leaders and elite four members. If you are interested, please mail your invitation to the location listed below with your RSVP and we will send you a map with the locations of our gyms.
Yours truly, the Elite Four of the NCTH
Tower of the Ancients, Unova"

If you challenge our league and are lucky enough to get to me, you have a shot at winning the Mountain Heights Symbol. Credit to Northern Lights for the badge.

Sorry I haven't reviewed the last one yet, I'll compound them. I've been busy.
Well, in the previous one, Change of Seasons, I definitely liked the bit with Kami (for obvious reasons). However, at the end, I didn't really get what Becca meant by his silence stemming from her desperation. Maybe that was just me. Either way, it was a nice interlude chapter.

This latest one... wow, pretty heavy. I do have a grammar fix to point out though, before anything goes forward. Whenever Draco is talking, the entire paragraph is italicized, not just where he's speaking. I'm willing to bet that's just a formatting error from however you upload it, but it bears noting.
As for actual content... very good. I like the idea of different strands of viruses moving throughout the different species, and the different ways it takes effect. At the end though, Becca's vision, I mean, it just seemed... I don't know... sloppy. No real explanation for how it happened, or why she suddenly just had a vision of this random egg (which I'd bet my winnings from the other bet is moxiekarp). I suppose she could have developed a telepathic connection with Gyara in the last moments, but that still doesn't explain how Gyara would know of this egg. Unless it's him reborn... but that's a whole twisted theological discussion right there.
Aside from that, the actual death scene was very well crafted. It was long enough that it made a powerful point, and conveyed it's emotions well, but it wasn't too long so that it became sappy.

The vision was intentionally sloppy. Gyara, like most Gyarados, was left slightly less than sane after the evolutionary rewiring of his brain. Not that he's unintelligent, or any more dangerous than your ordinary Atrocious Pokemon, but I think Gyarados don't have the same thinking process as other intelligent Pokemon, causing them to think in images rather than complete thoughts. Gyara is plenty intelligent, but his thought process is much less organized than, say, Draco's.

And the way the telepathic connection works for Becca is that a moment of extreme emotion and trials offers a chance for she and her Pokemon to be mentally bound together. Immediately before Gyara's fatal seizure, when he finally accepts his own death, the two become connected for just long enough for him to make his final thoughts known to her before his death.

"Trainer: We would like to invite you to try your hand at a new kind of challenge. The League of Heroes is a league of world-class battlers, with its own set of leaders and elite four members. If you are interested, please mail your invitation to the location listed below with your RSVP and we will send you a map with the locations of our gyms.
Yours truly, the Elite Four of the NCTH
Tower of the Ancients, Unova"

If you challenge our league and are lucky enough to get to me, you have a shot at winning the Mountain Heights Symbol. Credit to Northern Lights for the badge.